Lou Bega
Biography Lou Bega, is a German singer, songwriter, and rapper. He is best known for the 1999 song "Mambo No. 5", a remake of Pérez Prado's 1949 instrumental piece. Bega added his own words to the song and sampled the original version extensively. Bega's musical signature consists of combining musical elements of the 1940s and 1950s with modern beats and grooves. Lou Bega was also given the task to guard one of the Wii Remote pieces in Happily ForEVIL! After, as the last line of defense against Luiz. Personal Life Bega was born on 13 April 1975 in Munich, West Germany, to a Sicilian mother and a Ugandan father. His father Charles went to Germany in 1972 to study biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Until age six, Bega spent the most time with his mother Nicole in Italy. Then they lived permanently in Munich, where Bega attended German primary school. As a teenager he traveled to Miami, Florida, where he found the inspiration for his hit single "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)". Bega also lived in Uganda for half a year. Currently, he lives in Berlin, Germany. Career Bega started his musical career as a rapper. At the age of 13, he founded a hip hop group with two other boys. It would be two years before Bega and his friends' first CD would be released in 1990. While living in Miami he discovered Latin music. After returning to Munich, Bega met his then manager, Goar Biesenkamp, as well as music producers "Frank Lio" (Achim Kleist) and "Donald Fact" (Wolfgang von Webenau) (Syndicate Musicproduction), with whom he developed the concept for the song "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)". Bega signed a recording contract to the label Lautstark. ''His first single "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" became an instant worldwide hit in 1999, charting at No. 1 in most European countries, including Germany, UK, France, and No. 3 in the United States. In France, "Mambo No. 5" spent twenty weeks at No.1. It was also used by the British television broadcaster Channel 4 for their coverage of test match cricket between 1999 and 2005. On 19 July 1999, Bega released his debut album ''A little bit of Mambo, which peaked at No. 3 both in Bega's native country, Germany and also in the U.S. While it charted moderately in the UK, peaking at only No. 50, it reached No. 1 in Austria, Canada, Finland, Hungary, and Switzerland. The second single, "I Got a Girl" charted well, entering the Top 10 in some European countries, including France, Finland and Belgium. The third single, "Tricky, Tricky", achieved No. 18 on the Canadian charts and No. 74 on the U.S. Billboard Charts. In France, Bega did well also with his single "Mambo Mambo", which reached No. 11 on the French charts. Bega's second studio album Ladies and Gentlemen was released on 28 May 2001. The album failed to experience success similar to its predecessor in Bega's native market or internationally. It peaked at No. 54 in Germany. It reached No. 23 on Switzerland's album chart. The album produced two singles, "Just a Gigolo" and "Gentleman", both of which charted moderately. Bega released his third studio album Lounatic on 10 May 2005, which failed to enter the charts. On 21 May 2010, Bega released his fourth album called Free Again, which also didn't find much success on the charts. It only charted in Switzerland peaking at No. 78. Bega's fifth studio album A Little Bit of 80's was released on 28 June 2013, in Germany on Ariola (Sony music). In his latest material, Bega again covers classic international hits including "Smooth Operator" (1984)" by Sade, "I'm So Excited" (1982) by The Pointer Sisters, "Vamos a la playa" (1983) by Righeira, "Red Red Wine" (1968) by Neil Diamond and "Karma Chameleon" (1983) by Culture Club. Bega's first single off his fifth album, however, is "Give It Up" which was released in Germany on 14 June 2013. The song peaked at No. 6 in Germany. Happily ForEVIL! After In the third film, Lou Bega is given the task of watching over the final button for the Wii Remote in Russia. Luiz arrives, and the two duke it out, with Bega becoming distracted and falling. Luiz blasts him in the face with a beam from the remote, presumably killing him, but Lou Bega appears in the final fight against Luiz, showing the audience he is perfectly fine. He even goes to the party at the end of the film.